Fallen
by Juular
Summary: Sequel to Stigma: the Demon returns with a message for Sam, YRP and High Command that an ancient race, the Risen, have declared war against the mortal races. Sam and the others must now side with Stigma in order to save the galaxy and the universe.
1. the Call

_Okay, I got bored and decided to go ahead and write this. I'm trying to write this one better than the original. There may be some OOC, and this story will have a lot more Sci/Fi in it than the last._

_- Enjoy_

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Chapter 1: Call

It had only been one month. One short month since it had ended. Since me, Yuna, Rikku, and Paine had defeated my greatest enemy and obsession: Stigma.

My life was looking pretty good. I no longer needed to worry about the war against the Fallen and Stigma, the greatest threat to human civilization, was gone. I had retired, in a sense, on Spira. I quickly fell in love with this world. It was beautiful, simple.

Those weren't the only reasons.

I had someone that I cared about, that I loved. And she loved me. Yeah, I said she. If you have a problem with that then you're free to leave.

It seems that while I get along really well with Paine, Yuna and I . . well . . I'll tell you later.

All this started on what seemed to be an average day. Tell me, what _doesn't_ start on a seemingly average day?

I opened my eyes slowly, still wanting to sleep and not wanting to wake up just yet. The sunlight from the windows above seemed blinding to me after hours of pleasant darkness. I sighed and turned onto my stomach to bury my face in the pillow. My eyes caught the sleeping form beside me.

Rikku had curled up on the other side of the bed. The reason she wasn't curled up against me was the pillow I had stuck beside us last night. Now I normally didn't mind her cuddling up against me, but last night she practically attacked me in her sleep.

So I stuck the pillow in between us.

She was cute, and seemed fragile, but that girl was a wolf in sheep's clothing when she wanted to be. Not to mention her diabolical sense of humor.

Paine had decided to wait to tell me about that.

I stuffed my face into the pillow and tried to go back to sleep. I guess I did because what seemed like a few seconds later I felt something hit me, jolting me from my sleep. My eyes shot open and the first thing I said was, "Wha-huh?"

_Oh aren't you tough?_

Shut up.

I turned over and found Rikku sitting on her knees on the bed, the pillow that had been between us was in her hands. She seemed a little peeved. And sleepy.

"What's with the pillow?" she asked.

"It was there to save my life. You nearly killed me last night." I mumbled, turning my face back into my pillow. Ah.

"Gah!" I rolled onto my side and put my hand up as a shield against the onslaught of pillow. I finally managed to grab it and pull her down. She giggled and that gave me an idea. I was able to get rid of the pillow fairly easily and started to tickle her.

"Sam . . stop it!" she gasped between laughs.

"Give up?" I asked. She managed to nod and I removed my hands. I turned my back to her and closed my eyes. "Good, now shut up and let me . . hey!" I felt the pillow hit my head again and turned over. She jumped out of the bed and out of my reach. She stuck her tongue out at me and I got out of the bed.

I made to chase her and she bolted for the door. She threw it open and ran out and down the balcony. I paused at the doorway. I was still too tired to do this.

"Oh well, looks like I get the shower first." as I closed the door I heard a quick, "No fair!" which was cut off by the click of the door. I walked to the bathroom and had just locked the door behind me when I heard the door to the room open.

"Big meanie!" she hit the door once and I shook my head. She seemed to have the same amount of energy both night and day. Scary. I stripped and got into the shower. I took my sweet time. I considered this to be revenge for all the times she left me with freezing water in the morning.

Needless to say, this month had been pretty interesting. Tiring, yes, but fun all the same. Now that Rikku and I were a little more comfortable around each other it was easier for us to get along. Although she was never hard to get along with in the first place.

Paine and I had started a training together. While she was physically stronger than me I was faster and had techniques she didn't. Our sparring matches could get wild. Most of the time we ended in a draw. Occasionally one of us got the better of the other in the end, but that was only occasionally.

Once I thought the water had been sufficiently drained of its heat and I had bathed I got out. I dried but brushed my teeth before wrapping a towel around me because my clothes were still in the room. I looked in the mirror once before I opened the door. My skin was still as pale as it had been a month before. My hair had grown out a little, but not too much. It was still boyishly short. I turned away from the mirror and opened the door.

Rikku and I, well, we hadn't gotten too far with each other in terms of sex. That was still one of the more uncomfortable things for me. I just couldn't get myself to do anything. That and I wanted to pace myself.

We had kept any kind of sexuality to a minimum, normally I would have to stop her from getting too far. As I said, I was still very shy about that sort of thing.

I walked into the room and found Rikku lying on the bed. She was pouting but soon the look on her face vanished and was replaced by something far more sinister. The twinkle in her emerald eyes made me flinch.

She slid off the bed and moved slowly towards me. I pointed at her with one hand and with the other I held the towel. "You touch me, you die. Understand?" I asked. I couldn't keep a tiny quiver out of my voice and I hoped she hadn't heard it. The evil grin she was wearing grew.

Fuck.

She tried to pounce me but I quickly side-stepped her, causing her to hit the floor. For a moment she was still but then I heard her groan.

"You're no fun." she pouted.

"And you're twisted. Take a shower." I said, prodding her with my foot. She grumbled something in her language but grabbed her sphere grid and walked into the bathroom, the door slammed shut behind her. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

The door to the room was closed, thankfully. I went to the dresser by the bed and picked up another sphere grid. I still didn't care for these things, but they were pretty convenient. One of the spheres was new. Something that had actually been created by High Command scientists studying the grids. Cassidy had brought me the grid when she and Zach had come back for the last time. Along with the grid and specially made spheres they left me a long-ranged communicator in case Spira was ever hit by the Fallen.

I hadn't used this new sphere yet because I heard that it was strong but dangerous to use for long periods of time. I selected the warrior sphere. Unlike the first time I had used this sphere this one had been custom made for me.

One piece of it was a long, leather jacket. Black, naturally. The jacket was loose but not too big, it looked thin. The shoulders were covered by lightweight metal pads. The top underneath the jacket was sleeveless and made of a gray cloth. The pants were loose, black leather with padded knees. A single belt was around my waist. It was too big to go through any belt loops so it just hung at and angle around my waist. The boots had no heels, thankfully, and were covered in buckles. What I found most convenient about the sphere grid was that the weapons would only appear if you willed them to.

I left the room and went down the stairs to the floor below. I went to the bar and ordered my breakfast. Paine was sitting on the far end of the bar and I nodded a greeting. When I said we got along I didn't mean we had become best friends. We just didn't feel like killing each other and there was no awkwardness between us like there was with me and Yuna. I understood the importance of personal space so I wouldn't really say much to the warrior unless I needed to or she spoke to me.

Me and Yuna, well that was different entirely.

Rikku had told Yuna about me and her without me knowing. Yuna was . . well she was nice but she just found it hard to accept that her cousin was with . . well you get the point.

I could still remember what had happened when Yuna had confronted me about it.

I had been practicing with Paine. I had gotten my ass kicked, it happens sometimes I already said that, and was coming down from the deck.

Just as I'd come out of the elevator I was stopped by Yuna in that little hallway outside the elevator. I never did like those things. She had just been about to find me and had cornered me. I took one look at her and flinched.

"Sumthin' wrong?" I asked. I had no idea what was coming.

She stuck a finger in my face, "Is it true?" why people do that I have no idea.

"Wha . .?"

She let out an exasperated sigh, "You and Rikku!"

_Shit! How the fuck does she . . ooh I'm gonna kill that blonde airhead . . !_

"Y . . yeah." I said, trying to shake off the initial shock and at the same time ignore the venomous look the gunner was giving me.

_Oh yeah . . she has guns . . . I wonder how pissed she is?_

I made a mental note to watch her hands in case her two pistols appeared.

She let out a low growl, "Then do whatever you can to end it!" she barked.

I felt something rising inside me, "What the hell is making you so angry?"

"It's wrong!"

I almost slapped myself, "Oh please don't tell me you're prejudiced."

The look on her face made it seem as if I'd hit her, "I . . I'm not . ."

I cut her off, "Then what's your problem?"

"Okay, so maybe I am. No one's perfect." she grumbled. "Still, I don't approve of this."

"Well I'm sorry, your majesty, but I don't need your approval. You can't just dictate her life like this. Or mine!" I snapped. I realized I was letting myself get worked up. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down.

She looked like she was ready to shoot me. If it didn't kill me instantly it would be just what I needed to . .

"Yunie, Sam?" I heard a soft voice say. Yuna turned around and I tilted my head to see around her. Rikku was standing in front of the door to the cabin. She looked as if she'd been crying.

"Rikku, I need to talk to Sam for a . ." she turned back to face me and immediately shut up when she saw my face.

_Ungrateful bitch . ._

I walked around her, careful not to let my shoulder hit hers. I wasn't some stupid kid and wasn't about to entice a fight even if I wanted to. Rikku was right there.

I walked briskly to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. I let my expression soften and turned her around. I guided her through the door and shot one last glare at Yuna. After we were out of the hall she turned to look at me.

"I'm sorry." she murmured. Her eyes were welling up and she was starting to shake. I quickly walked her to the room we shared and we both went in, I closed the door. She sat on the edge of the bed and I stood in front of her.

"What happened?" I asked. Rikku shook her head. I sighed and sat down beside her. She leaned against me and inclined her head. I saw tears starting to fall onto her skirt.

"Rikku, what happened?" she shook her head again, harder this time. I gently lifted her head to face me. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and she was shaking even more now.

"I was just . . I couldn't help it. I was too excited and I thought she wouldn't care. But when I told her she just . . stared at me . . she just stared for what seemed like forever and then got angry." she buried her face into the side of my jacket. "She yelled at me, Sam."

I wrapped a single arm around her and slowly caressed her back. It took about thirty minutes of talking and consolation to get her to stop crying. She didn't leave the room for the rest of the day. The day after she still wasn't completely the same. She was a little better the third day but it wasn't until the fourth day that she was back to her usual self.

I pushed the memory as far back in my mind as I could and thanked Barkeep when he placed a plate in front of me. I noticed that Paine had gotten her food before me and had already started eating. I took a bite of egg and quickly moved on to another.

Rikku showed up a minute later. She looked mad.

"How was the water?" I asked after swallowing a bite of egg. I grinned when she stuck her tongue out at me. "Well, now you know how I feel every morning."

Barkeep immediately placed a plate of food in front of her. I paused. Paine and I had to wait, but it seemed as though he had already cooked her breakfast. I hadn't noticed that before, but thinking back I realized that had happened every day.

Unlike Paine and I she plowed through her food. I caught myself watching, eyes wide. I shook my head and started eating. That girl's appetite never ceased to amaze me.

Rikku finished first and disappeared. I finished before Paine and went back up to the room. I opened one of the drawers on the dresser. I picked up a leather-bound journal and a pen, pocketed them, and headed for the elevator. I'd gotten bored recently and decided to write down all I can remember about my life in High Command and how it had all changed once we found Stigma.

I went to the deck and sat back against the metal. The hole that Stigma had put in the deck had been repaired and it looked as if nothing had happened.

For a short time I just looked out over the ocean. I closed my eyes and leaned back. My mind wandered as the cool wind and warm sun fought to heat or chill my skin. The sounds of gulls that passed close to the ship and the roaring wind filled my ears with a beautiful blend of music. A world symphony.

I sighed and for a moment I thought I had drifted to sleep. Someone shook me and I opened my eyes. Sunlight shone off of Rikku's hair and nearly blinded me. She was crouched beside me and smiling.

"Wake up sleepy-head." she giggled, her spiral eyes shining.

"If I'm tired it's because you didn't let me go back to sleep earlier."

"Well you shouldn't have put that pillow there!"

"And risk a painful death in my sleep? Hell no!" I grinned as she pouted. She shifted to lean her back against the metal and looked out over the edge of the deck.

"It's pretty." she said. Well, she bounced back.

"Yeah." I nodded. "Relaxing, too." I was facing forward, but my eyes moved to look at the blonde beside me. I was lucky. Very lucky. Not only had I survived an ordeal that should have killed me, but I also found something that had been missing from my life for so long.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"I've been wondering. You made the decision to stay so quickly. I was just wondering if you had any family." I stiffened and forgotten memories surfaced. I blinked and pushed them back over a mental cliff, hopefully to never see them again. "Sam?"

"Huh? Oh . . no." I said quickly.

"Oh . . sorry." she whispered.

I sighed, "It's alright." she looked over at me and she noticed I was watching her.

"Why are you watching me?" she asked. I shrugged and looked away.

"Do I need a reason?" A smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

"Not really." she giggled. I closed my eyes and felt her nudge me. I blinked a few times and turned to her. "Maybe you should take a nap, you just dozed off . . again." she grinned. I nodded, my eyes feeling heavy.

I got up and paused by the door, "Wake me up in an hour or so." I said with a yawn. Man, I really was tired. I made it to the room and closed the door. I took off the jacket and boots before laying in the bed and closing my eyes.

Sleep came quickly and I welcomed it with open arms.

I found myself on the edge of a lake. The ground around the lake was black and white grass grew in scarce bunches. A light fog drifted up from the still water and slowly moved over the ground. The water itself had no ripples in it and was as black as space.

I paused as I heard something. A light sound, barely audible. I turned around and felt a tug. This was getting weird. I let whatever force had me pull me through the thin fog. I could barely walk fast enough. I kept stumbling and tripping as the force of the tug pulled me faster and faster along the dead landscape.

At least the pull let up some. Little by little it faded. The white grass was covered by a thin layer of snow and a number of dead trees littered the landscape. The fog had risen higher and into the branches of the trees. I walked slowly through the snow and quickly stopped.

"Isn't it a shame?" a cold voice whispered through the dead forest. I heard the sound again, only this time it was louder.

A fiddle.

A fiddle? What kinda fucked up dream was this?

"Maybe it isn't?" the voice rang out again. Definitely a dream. "Or maybe more?"

"Okay, who the fuck, and where the fuck, are you?" I asked, impatience filling my voice.

"Why, I'm right here." I felt an icy wind bite at the back of my neck and whirled around. Behind me stood . . well . . Death. Instead of skeletal hands, two black as night hands gripped a long wooden handle leading to the curved blade at the tip of the scythe. Ice covered the wood nearest the blade and tiny icicles hung from the wood. The black robe was long and loose. The hood hung down covering all traces of the head. The bottom of the robe seemed to be frozen to the snowy ground, ice had already started to creep up the robe but only a little.

"And as for your other question, I am Grim." he said.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, I think I'll wake up now . ."

Grim's chuckling kept me from finishing, "Dearest Samantha, I have only come to warn you on behalf of an old friend of mine. Well, two old friends, actually."

"Wait, you came to warn me . . . either this is a dream or one of those weird . ."

"Yes," the Reaper nodded, "this is a telepathic link. I have brought you here to warn you on behalf of two friends. I think you have met them before."

_Two friends . . he couldn't mean . ._

The Reaper shrugged, "I may. As I was saying, I have been sent to warn you that this galaxy is on the verge of a war so massive the fate of the universe itself may hang in the balance."

I nodded, "Definitely a dream." I said slowly.

Grim chuckled, "If only that were true. Soon you will know that I speak truthfully." a sea of fog rolled in and enveloped me. Everything turned black. My mind drifted into oblivion and suddenly my eyes snapped open.

I felt someone shaking me. I yawned and rolled over onto my side. "Go away." I murmured. I felt a dip in the bed and someone pulled me onto my back.

"It's been two hours." Rikku said. I opened my eyes and found that she was leaning over me. I waved a hand at her. She giggled and leaned down.

Her lips touched mine and she quickly opened her mouth causing me to do the same. We kissed for only a few seconds before I broke away.

"You wanted me to get, so I'm getting up." I said. She frowned but moved.

"Phooey." she said quickly. I stood and stretched. Rikku picked up my jacket and pulled the journal out of the pocket. She opened it and started reading through it. She had zero respect for privacy, I had learned that fairly quickly. I pulled my jacket back on and grabbed grabbed the journal and stuffed it back into my pocket. She just stared at me for a second before she got that evil look in her eyes again.

Shit.

She slowly stood up and eyed me. I took a cautious step back and before I could turn to run she had pounced. This time she didn't miss. I hit the wall and she began to kiss me with savage intensity. She was pressing me against the wall and her hand had managed to get under my shirt.

I pushed her back and grabbed her hand. She was breathing heavily and my heart was racing. I gave her a stern look and shook my head. She sighed.

"Sorry." she pouted. "I just couldn't help myself." she hugged me and pressed her body against mine, making my heart start up again. "You're just so damn hot." she loosened her grip on me and backed up.

I grinned, still nervous, "Thanks." she loved doing that. For one she knew I was nervous about it. She also really wanted me to just let my guard down and not stop her. Trust me, it wasn't like I didn't want her . . I just froze up every time I tried to do something, or if she tried to. I put my boots back on and left the room.

Yuna was sitting on the couch in the small lounge area reading. When I passed her she turned her eyes up to me and just stared. That was pretty much all she did was glare at me now. I just sighed and walked down the stairs.

I went up to the deck and found Paine practicing. She noticed me but didn't stop. "You look like you need to beat something up." she said.

I shrugged, "As I recall that's just what I did to you last time we sparred."

She frowned, "Got any fight behind those words?" she asked, pausing. I shrugged again. She nodded and lashed out towards me.

"Fuck!" I dodged the swing and felt my sword in my hand. Like I said, convenient. I took a number of steps back as she quickly turned to face me with her sword at the ready. I let mine hang at my side.

"The fight has just started and already you run." she shook her head, a small grin on her lips. "Not good." she lunged. Her sword came at me in a wide arc. I tightened my grip on my own blade and brought it up. The two blades met with a sharp _clang_.

People always underestimate me. The first time Paine and I fought she thought she had seen all the ways I fought. All my methods and such. I managed to surprise her that first time and quickly had her on the defensive. Since then she hasn't made those same mistakes.

We held each other in place, both using only as much force as needed to keep the other blade away. Paine pushed off and quickly spun her sword and brought it back towards me. I stepped back, my own sword moving to stop hers.

I spun my sword in my hand and danced away from another swing. Most of our fights were like this. I would take the defensive half the time and just dodge most of her attacks and then once she was worn out I would speed up and take the offensive.

Call it what you want but that's an easy way to take out a slower enemy.

Of course there were times when she managed to wear me out and that's when I became fucked. If I couldn't block what she threw at me or couldn't avoid her attacks I was screwed.

_Parry, swing, duck, swing, roll, parry._

My brain sent my body the instructions as my eyes sought out her attacks. It was just natural to me, I assumed it was natural to her too. I mentally cut myself off as I maneuvered around swings and thrusts. My hand worked on its own to stop any attacks that came too close.

After close to an hour I had taken off my jacket and was starting to slow down a little. Paine and I were both sweating from the sun and exercise. It seemed to be another draw and we were coming to a close when the door to the elevator opened.

Rikku ran onto the deck and started yelling, "Sam! I was in the room and I started hearing this beeping sound. I don't know what it is and I didn't do anything!" I raised an eyebrow at the last part and nodded. My sword faded and I picked up my jacket. I nodded to Paine and followed a nervous Rikku into the elevator.

She kept giving me glances on the ride down. I realized she probably thought she did something. I knew she didn't, but I didn't say anything.

We reached the cabin and both went up to the room. A soft, repetitive beep was coming from under the bed. I stooped down and pulled out a small, silver case. I opened it and removed a small, metal dome from the case. The top was blinking green. That meant it was a live message.

With communicators like this there are two types of messages: Live and recorded. Any long-range message had to be recorded and the top of the dome would blink yellow if it was recorded. For a message to be live the other communicator would have to be within the planet's gravity well.

So someone had a ship parked next to Spira.

I tapped the top of the dome and stepped back. A life-size hologram of Cassidy blinked into existence. Unlike older holographic messages this one had perfect color and there were no breaks or bends in the image. Cassidy was dressed in her usual black robes. Markings and patterns adorned the hood and sleeves. Her hood was down for the moment. Her hair was red and her skin was very pale like my own. Her eyes were a glittering green. She looked like someone who would be happy and energetic.

With her looks were very decieving.

"Sam." she nodded once at me and her eyes flashed to Rikku. "Two of you . ." her eyes came back to me, "I need to speak to all four of you." she said.

"Rikku . ."

"No problem!" she cut me off. "Be back in a jiffy!" she ran out the door.

"Hyper, isn't she?" Cassidy asked.

"You have no idea." I said with a chuckle. "So what brings you back to Spira?"

"I needed to speak to you four. It's important." she said, her voice staying monotone.

"Uh-huh." I nodded. This couldn't be good. I knew Cassidy pretty well. _Very_ well actually. She meant what she said. Paine walked into the room and stopped when she saw Cassidy. The warrior's crimson eyes darted from the mage to me.

"How did . ."

"It's a hologram." I said. "A projection."

"And she can see me?"

"Yes I can." Cassidy answered. Paine blinked and shrugged. She folded her arms over her chest and shifted her weight onto her right foot. A little later Rikku ran back into the room.

"Where's . . ?" I turned and looked back out the door. Yuna was standing outside the room and looking at it like it was diseased. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh come on!" Rikku sighed, rolling her eyes as well. "It's not like we really do anything anyway." she grumbled. Yuna stepped slowly into the room. She shot me a glance that said, "It had better stay that way." I gave her a look of my own before turning back to Cassidy.

"We're all here." I said.

"Two days ago Stigma appeared to me and Zach while we were on a mission." she said. At the mention of the Demon my blood froze. "He gave himself to us and said that he had a message for the humans of Earth. We took him aboard our ship and he demanded that he speak to the four who bested him. He explained only a little of what he wanted to say, and we brought him here. He's secured on our ship, so we'll need to bring you four up to speak with him."

"How important it this?" I asked.

"In his words, the fate of this galaxy hangs in the balance." she said. I remebered what Grim had said.

"If he's telling the truth . ." Paine started.

"He can't lie." Cassidy and I said in unison.

Paine nodded, "Then it looks like we have to."

"I'll go." said Yuna. Rikku just gave me a thumbs up.

I turned back to Cassidy, "Bring us up. We'll talk to him."

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Author's Note: _Well, there's the first chapter. I'm going to try and make this one longer than Stigma. Actually I may have to, there's a lot that I've already planned to have happen. I'll get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Part of this chapter was inspired by _Fiddler on the Green _by_ Demons & Wizards_._

- Thank-you for reading.


	2. Gods or Monsters?

_I'm going to change something I said in Stigma. The Fallen _can_ use elements. Only some can, though. I don't know why I put that in Stigma and I'm gonna edit it too. _

_- Enjoy_

Chapter 2: Gods or Monsters?

A thunderous roar of energy shook the ground as another particle beam licked across the surface of the barren world. The super-weapon mopped up all that it hit. After the white beam vanished hundreds of steel-clad soldiers rushed out of the shadows of a ancient building. Many sported silver swords while others carried large guns.

I tightened my grip on my own swords. Zach was beside me, his large rifle propped on his shoulder. We both wore the same iron armor as the other human soldiers. The steel coffin encased our entire bodies. Lightweight and strong, it served as excellent protection. Our squad leader stood in front of me. We were waiting for the go ahead. Like the other groups we were hidden in the shadows of a ruined building.

"Stressful, huh?" Zach asked, his voice coming in clear through the comm. All the suits were soundproofed and each had its own comm built in. Zach and I had isolated our comm systems. The only other person we could hear right now was the squad leader, but he couldn't hear us.

"That's a weak word." I said, shaking my head.

"Aw, is little Sam scared?" he asked in a childish voice. Wasn't exactly hard for him to mimic a child, though.

"No. And if you don't stop talking like that I'm gonna jam this sword so far up your . ."

"We have the order! Let's move out!" our squad leader's voice came in through the comm.

"Gonna finish that?" Zach asked.

"If we get out of this I'm gonna go ahead and do it." I said. Zach laughed. Idiot. I went first along with the other blade soldiers and the gunners followed up behind us. Multiple blasts shot past us and connected with bigger Fallen, quickly taking them down.

The smaller ones were left for us. I cut down a number of large, black dogs. They were close to the size of a lion. Stupid, but fast. All it took was one swing to rid the world of them.

A large sandstorm rose up somewhere ahead of us. It consumed a large number of soldiers who simply vanished in the tornado. A skiff flying past launched three blazing shots of plasma into the sandstorm. The sand erupted out, but those that made it had not yet been killed.

Seven Djinn rose after the sand cleared. Djinn were strong and very smart for Fallen. They were known as one of the more dangerous breeds. These Djinn were part of the Afrit tribe. They were large and monstrous. They had two large horns on their heads and cloven hooves. Their skin was a deep red. They stretched their hands out and columns of fire flew from their fingertips engulfing and incinerating soldiers.

"Zach, now would be a good time to shoot the fiery guys!" I shouted.

"Right, got a storm comin' your way, darlin'!"

I mentally paused, "Darlin'?" a flurry of blasts flew past my group and hit the Djinn. At first it barely did anything. Soon enough they were down and my group started forward again.

"You got Donestre comin' your way!" Zach shouted. Donestre had the bodies of humans but the head of a lion. Long manes stretched down from their heads to their backs. They each carried a sword or ax. I parried a strike from one and with my other sword I stabbed one in the chest. I knocked the blade of the first away and brought my other sword up and down in an arc. I positioned it in mid-swing and the blade severed the creature's head.

More skiffs flew overhead and rained destruction on hoards of Fallen. This had to be one of the biggest armies I'd ever seen. The whole planet seemed to be covered in Fallen.

I blocked another swing from a Donestre and swung around when another soldier killed it. I stabbed one in the back and severed another's arm. I drew my sword from the dead monster's back and brought it around to connect with the wounded one's forehead. A third came up behind me. I ducked under its ax and using only my fingers turned my sword around in my hand. I drove it back and impaled the creature. I pulled my sword out of it and stepped out of the way of its corpse.

It took us another fifteen minutes to clear away the pack of Donestre and move ahead. A swarm of gunfire was launched into the sky. I looked up and opened my comm channel to the other soldiers in my group.

"Alan!" this was not some guys name. Alan were a species of humanoid bird-like creatures with wings, long teeth and hands and feet facing backwards. Needless to say they were nasty and had a habit of tearing your throat out after picking you up.

They rushed down and grabbed close to seven soldiers, one from my group. I swung my sword as it passed close to me. The silver blade caught the wing and shredded it. The Alan came down and hit the dirt face first. Another soldier from my group cut its head off and helped the other soldier up.

More came down at us but bursts of gunfire dropped them out of the sky like rocks.

"Hah! Two with one shot!" Zach yelled. I rolled my eyes.

"This isn't a game. People are dying." I said.

"Yeah, but it's fun to shoot these bastards." he said with a laugh. Gunners were always the jocks of any group. They just liked to kill things. I wondered if any of them even knew why we were at war with the Fallen. I knew Zach did, but he seemed to never acknowledge it.

An ax embedded itself into a soldier next to me. It was small, a throwing ax. He dropped to the ground and was still. "Son of a bitch." I muttered. "Zach, they got range!" I said.

"Well so do we." this was followed up by gunfire coming dangerously close to me.

"Don't do that!" I yelled.

"Just tryin' to make a point." he grumbled.

"Ugh, gunners!" I groaned. A swath of fire spilled over the battlefield and incinerated a number of soldiers and even a few Fallen. A Fire-Drake. Not a dragon. Dragons were a rare breed of Fallen that were only fought using orbital weaponry. They were too strong for a skiff and no soldier could fight one.

At first only one of the serpentine monsters was seen, but soon enough three more joined it. Two of them used their tails to bat the humans aside but the other two just burned them. A skiff flew overhead and launched a bolt of plasma at one of the Fire-Drakes. The single shot acted like a punch and tossed the massive snake backwards. As second skiff flew over but stopped and hovered near the Fire-Drakes. It fired a short volley of plasma that successfully killed the monsters.

Another sandstorm appeared, heralding the arrival of more Djinn. This time fire shot out from the sandstorm and caused even more destruction.

"Fall back!" a voice said. I recognized it as the voice of my squad leader. "Fall back!" the order came again. My group along with others quickly turned and hightailed it for the shuttles hidden in the ruins. Skiffs passed over us and kept the Fallen from us.

We reached the shuttles safely and made it inside. Once the hangar door closed the ship lifted off towards the sky. My helmet parted and slid into my armor. I walked to where our squad leader was standing by a window.

"Sir." he turned to face me. "Why did we retreat?"

"Because we're about to blow this planet to pieces." he said. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I turned to the window. We left the atmosphere and I saw a gigantic ship position itself over the planet. It looked like a a series of interlocking rings had been thrown together.

A High Command dreadnought.

Two others had positioned themselves over the planet as well. Each one fired a single shot from its center. The three shots plummeted towards the planet like falling stars. They hit the atmosphere and exploded into seas of fire which quickly consumed the planet and reduced it to nothing.

_That was two years ago . . ._

*******

Stigma.

The Demon.

I was face-to-face with the being that was once my greatest enemy. He had been locked in a room and fully bound. His clothing was still stained from the blood we had spilled on him a month ago.

It hadn't taken long to get the General of this ship to agree to let us in by ourselves. He didn't take my word for it immediately when I told him that Stigma would not harm us. He told me he wouldn't and I knew he would stick to that.

His word was his bond.

General David Leicester had been at the docking bay along with Zach and Cassidy to receive us. A small ship had been sent to the Celsius to retrieve us and took us up to the ship. Paine didn't seem nervous about going into space, Yuna looked a little unsettled.

Rikku was a fucking basket case.

The instant the ship took off for the sky Rikku latched onto my arm and proceeded to crush it. I wondered how someone so seemingly frail could do so much damage. The first time she grabbed my arm I had yelped. Rikku just tried to crush me.

We arrived at the hangar and the ship landed inside. We climbed out and immediately Zach gabbed me.

"Oh, how I've missed you!" he mock cried, hugging me.

"You're killing me you son of a bitch lemme go!" I kicked him and he released me. Cassidy smacked him in the back of the head. She still had her hood down and nodded a greeting.

"Good to see you again, Samantha." General Leicester said with a smile. Leicester had very dark skin and was wearing his usual navy-blue uniform. He was very popular amongst the higher powers back on Earth. One of three generals referred to as the Triumvirate. They had saved Earth once in a battle that almost ended Earth. They only worked together when it was absolutely necessary.

"Good to be back, General." I said. "This is Yuna, Rikku and Paine." I gestured to each as I introduced them. Leicester nodded.

"Ah, yes. We are indebted to you three for your help in the defeat of Stigma." he said.

"Thank-you." Yuna said with a short bow.

"Hiyas!" Rikku said, waving vigorously. I caught her hand to stop her. She started to pout. Paine nodded to the General.

"Well," Leicester started, "you four came here for a reason, follow me please." he turned and motioned for us to follow. I felt a hand on my shoulder and sighed.

"You know, it's never healthy to be away from me for too long." Zach said. "Without your daily dose of Zach your life is just bland."

"Zach." Cassidy said from in front of us, voice calm. "Stop pestering her before she snaps your arm." she turned her head a fraction, "Or I do." Zach shrugged and moved his hand.

We came to a long hallway. The walls were silver and smooth, a holographic computer panel appearing every so often. Soldiers were walking up and down the hall. Some were dressed in jumpsuits while others wore uniforms. Some stopped at a few of the holo-computers.

We eventually came to a small circular alcove built into the wall. I stopped the General. "Maybe you should let us go first." I said, casting a glance back at Yuna, Rikku and Paine. The General looked confused for a moment then nodded as he understood.

The four of us stepped into the alcove and the General hit a button on the holo-computer on the wall outside the alcove. The other three girls looked confused and I grinned. There was a quick flash and we were somewhere else.

"Come on." I said, stepping out of the alcove. They followed me and looked confused.

"What was . . what just . . ?" Yuna looked stunned.

"Transporter. We only use them for short range. Basically your reduced to particles and zapped somewhere else. Took us forever to ever use it on humans. We wanted to make sure that nothing bad happened."

"Like what?" Yuna asked. I just shook my head. No need to freak them out with horror stories about accidents that we tried as hard as possible to avoid. Luckily we worked out all the kinks before using it on humans. We took longer than necessary to make them so that we could be sure they would work right.

The General, Cassidy and Zach appeared in the alcove and stepped out. The General immediately headed through a door. We walked through and the door slid shut behind us. The room was small and had a number of chairs, a second door, and a single holo-computer. This one was larger and had multiple screens. One was larger than the rest.

Stigma.

"He's in a cell?" I asked.

Cassidy shrugged, "Secure."

"He has been fully bound." the General said.

"General, he doesn't pose a single threat to this ship. He told me himself . ."

"I'm not about to let the most powerful enemy we've ever encountered be allowed to keep some of his more . . irritating . . powers. I'm surprised that he didn't try to kill us the minute he came aboard this ship."

"Like I said, he gave me his word."

"Anyway, what he told us . . to put it simply is frightening. The claims he had made . ." he shook his head. "I'll take you, Zach, and Cassidy's word for it that he doesn't lie. But that just makes it all seem worse."

"What did he tell you?" I asked.

The General sighed, "I think you'd better let him tell you. I'll send in team of guards . ."

"No." I said. He stopped and titled his head, "Sir, he won't harm us, and I think I should be allowed to speak to him. Without any surveillance." I said, glancing at the image of the cell.

The General gaped, "That thing in there could still kill you, you can't just . ."

"General please, he won't touch me or my friends. He can't lie, he said he won't hurt us."

"She's right General. We said it ourselves. Fang-boy can't lie. If he says he won't hurt them then I'm inclined to believe him. Even if I do hate the mother fucker." Zach said.

Leicester turned to Cassidy, "You?" he asked. She just nodded. If he believed any of us it was Cassidy. "Fine. No guards," he tapped a symbol on the holo-computer, "no cameras." the image blinked out of existence. "Satisfied?" he asked with a smile.

"Thank-you." I said. Cassidy went to the second door and entered to code to open it. The force field in front of the door vanished and the reinforced door slid open. The four of us walked through and the door shut behind us. Two guards in full armor were stationed outside the door to Stigma's cell. One had a sword sheathed at his side. The other held a large rifle. The one with the sword turned and entered the code for the cell. The door opened in the same manner the previous one had.

We walked through and the door shut and sealed behind us. The room was stark white and had a single table, two chairs, and a bed in it. Stigma was seated at the chair facing us, his hands were on the table. He looked up at me and smiled.

"Samantha." his voice made me shiver, and his smile made it even more unnerving. His red eyes trailed over each of us. "So glad to see that you're all fine." his eyes went back over Rikku and me and then Yuna. "Although some are not as happy as others." damn, I forgot he could do that.

"You look . . the same." I said.

"Still scary." Rikku slipped her hand into mine. Paine eyed him with a look that wavered between hate a disgust. Yuna seemed a little put off.

"You wanted to speak to us?" I asked.

"We did." he nodded and stood up. "We assume that Grim managed to speak to you?"

"Huh?" Rikku turned to me.

"Yeah, death popped up in dream." I said.

"Grim is a Risen. A very powerful and very old being. Much like we are."

"Yeah, you said that you were two beings. I assume that one of them is Sol?"

Stigma nodded, "Yes."

"So who is the other?"

He hesitated, "Much of your mythology is accurate to a point." he said, he clasped his hands behind his back. "Then again, much of it isn't. The other being that makes up this form is called Anubis."

I gaped, "Are you serious?" I asked.

"We are."

"So you're two . . gods?"

"Not exactly. We are of the race Risen, as Grim is. We were forced the take this form and leave our bodies behind."

"Why?"

"We will tell you, but if we are to tell you the truth then you must all be in here." he said, gesturing to the door. I nodded and went to the door. I knocked on the metal and a moment later the door hissed open.

"Tell the General and the two with him that we need them in here." I said to the guard. He nodded and left. I walked back into the room. A minute later Leicester, Zach, and Cassidy entered the cell. The guards still locked the door behind them.

"As we have already told these four," he gestured towards where I stood with Yuna, Rikku and Paine, "we are two in one. Anubis and Sol."

"The god of death and the god of the sun . . interesting combination." Cassidy murmured. Stigma nodded.

"You all know of the Fallen. The race that you are at war with. A race of monsters and demons. But you do not know of another race, the Risen. We are of that race. Long ago the Fallen were once a very powerful and a very advanced race. The Risen appeared soon after the Fallen and grew to hate the mortal races. They saw humanity as the biggest threat. The Fallen were not always as they are now. They saved humanity from the Risen, but at a price. The Risen hurt the Fallen, badly. We came together for the first time and agreed that we would help them save the mortal races. A small number of the Risen joined us and we waged war against our own kind to defend the younger, mortal races of the galaxy. We were eventually defeated and in an effort to save us a dying servant provided us with his body to hide in. We managed to escape and have been living with his form ever since then. The Risen cursed the Fallen, stripping them of much of their intelligence and affecting us as well. Over time we became . . monstrous . . ."

"We know about that." I snorted.

"Grim, our closest ally, informed us not two weeks ago that the Risen were planning to attack the mortal races again. We hurt them during the war, and they have built their armies up to immense strength."

"Then how can we defeat them?" Leicester asked.

"Simple. Many of our allies managed to hide that they sided with us and still think the way we do. We can persuade them back to our side and have a large and powerful army. And with enough Risen we can remove the curse the Risen put on the Fallen, giving us an even larger army. We have sought for a way to atone for what we did to your kind, and now we have a way."

We stood in silence. Here was my greatest enemy pleading with us to allow him to help us. He was asking us to side with him against an enemy stronger than we had ever fought.

"We have just one more request." he said. His voice was quieter and he seemed to be hesitating. "We know that asking you to side with us is a large enough request already, but we do have one more. We require two hosts."

Leicester's eyes lit up with fury, "What?!" he yelled.

Stigma held up a hand, "If you have two people that have an incurable disease, or are on the verge of dying, we can inhabit them and release them gently. You would be doing them mercy. They would go without pain, without fear, without sorrow. This is hard to ask of you . ."

"You'd better know it is." Leicester growled, still fuming.

"Please, just consider it." he said. Leicester walked to the door and knocked once on it. The door slid open and he walked out, I hurried after him.

"General." I stopped him near the door to the security station. "What he just said in there, it's all true. It has to be."

"I don't have a problem with believing him." the General pointed back at the cell. "What I have a problem with is giving him two of my men . ."

"General, I know that there are men down in sick bay who are dying and we can't help them. He can do what he said. They'll go peacefully. And if he's to help us . . it needs to be in a form that isn't wounded. Not only that but we'd have two allies. And like he said, with more Risen they could take the curse off the Fallen. Then we'd have one war ended and even more allies than we could dream of!"

The General sighed, he pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded slowly, defeated. "I'll send message to sick bay, they'll bring up the two closest to death." he said, disgust in his voice. "But think about this. He said that curse affected even him. He came back to our side pretty fast. My guess is that in that one form they're stronger. So when they split what will we find? Will we find gods, or will we finds monsters?" he entered the security code and the door opened.

He gave me one last look before going through the door. I leaned against the wall, his words running through my head. He made sense, and that scared me.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Author's Note: _All of the Fallen featured in the flashback are actual mythological creatures. Trust me, this story will be filled with mythological monsters and gods. _

- Thank-you for reading.


	3. Issues

Chapter 3: Issues

Fire.

There was fire everywhere and I couldn't escape it. So small, so weak. So young and so, so very afraid. I stumbled through the smoke, suffocating on the deadly cloud that had settled over the place I used to call home. The ground shook and I fell, skinning my hands and knees.

I started to cry, more out of fear than anything. People were running everywhere. Screaming filled the air and more explosion flew up in the distance. I heard a deep growl and saw a monstrous dog tackle a man. The beast gripped the man's head in its jaws and ripped it off with ease. I got up and ran away from the horrid scene.

"Mommy!" I cried, my voice coming out cracked. My throat was dry from the smoke and it hurt to speak but I was just so afraid. "Daddy!" I started coughing, my throat burned from the smoke. Someone ran into me, knocking me down. I hit the ground hard and screamed.

More explosions . .

More screams . .

More blood . .

Why wouldn't anyone help me? Where was my mother, my father? Where were they? I kept hoping that they would pick me up and carry me safety, that everything would be okay.

It had to be a nightmare. I shut my eyes and hoped, prayed, that when I opened them it would all be a dream and that when I opened my eyes I would be in bed and my parents would be in the other room.

I opened my eyes . .

*******

. . Two soldiers had been brought up to the ship's prison. They had both been put out and where laying on hover beds. The doctors merely pressed a button on the bed's holo-computers. The beds would then float forward and around corners to the desired destination. They were brought into Stigma's cell.

The two doctors gave Stigma a disgusted glance before leaving for sick bay. Stigma ignored them. The two beds had been positioned parallel to each other. Stigma looked at each one closely, examining both men carefully.

"What are you doing?" Leicester asked. Stigma's evil eyes flicked upwards to the General and then back to the man.

"We are merely seeing how much will need to be repaired upon entering." he said quietly. He nodded and stepped between the two beds. "As we are now splitting into two bodies we will assume the forms we had before we joined together in this form. The transfer will be faster now that we are only moving one soul to each body instead of both at once."

His hands had been clasped in front of his stomach, but he now moved them over the two soldiers. He closed his eyes and a strange light drifted off his skin.

His aura.

He took a deep breath and his head twitched. The light started to change color. Slowly it separated into two separate auras. One was a bright gold and flowed in beautiful patterns. The other was a dark gray, borderline black, and drifted like mist. Each man was surrounded and enveloped by one aura. Stigma suddenly jerked violently.

His skin began to glow, and that light moved to cover his entire body. He jerked a second time and the light flashed. A kind of energy had been released with the flash of light because we were all pushed into the wall. Well all but me. I had been standing in front of the open door and was tossed out into the hall.

It always has to be me. Why am I the idiot who always stands in the wrong place or says . . fuck, just forget it.

I stood slowly and rolled my shoulder as I stood. I had landed pretty hard on my back and that iron floor was unforgiving. The light from Stigma was quickly fading, Where he had been standing only small particles of light drifted down to the floor like dust before vanishing. The two figures on the beds were shining brightly. The light shifted and moved around them as it shaped their bodies and changed them. Finally the light subsided.

One plus of having been tossed onto my ass was that everyone else had been all but blinded by the light. I walked slowly into the room, my eyes tracing over the two figures. The other's were struggling to stand and were rubbing their eyes.

Both Risen were on their feet.

Sol, I guessed it was him, was very tall. His hair glittered like golden sand. His skin was fair and unmarred. His eyes were the color of burning gold, like two suns. His chest was covered by an ornate golden breastplate that reached around to shield his back. The shoulders were large and carved with the same care as the breastplate and sleeves of silver chain mail hung down to his elbows. Golden bracers guarded his forearms. His golden leggings and boots were just as beautiful as the rest of his armor.

Anubis was different from what I'd imagine. His head was not that of a jackal. His skin was paler than my own and his hair was blacker than night. His eyes were a deep purple and seemed to burn with an unbridled fury. He wore armor similar to Sol's only it was silver with black borders. The chain mail sleeves were made with a black iron. Around his neck was a medallion with a scales carved onto it. A black cape was attached to his shoulder armor and billowed to the floor.

Sol smiled gently when he saw me and watched the others as they quickly stopped to look upon the Risen with awe. Anubis nodded in my direction and regarded the rest with a cold, emotionless stare.

They were . . beautiful.

There was no other word for it. We were all struck silent at the sight of them. How could Grim be of the same race as these two? He seemed frightening while these two were so awe-inspiring.

"We thank you for what you have done for us." Sol said. His voice different from when I'd first heard it. It still sounded strong, but it had a slight throaty sound to it.

"Please tell me you meant that for both of us because I don't want to have to force you back into first person, Sol." Anubis sighed. His voice was rough and cold.

I realized that Stigma's voice had been a combination of their voices. Sol's throaty voice and Anubis's rough one.

"Holy . ."

"Shit." Cassidy finished for Zach.

"I second that." Leicester said, sounding slightly dazed. I suppressed a laugh.

"We apologize if we seem . ."

"Gaudy?" Anubis cut Sol off. His voice had been laced with sarcasm.

Perfect . . .

"If you say so." Sol gave Anubis a weary glance.

Anubis shrugged, "We've been in the same body for thousands of year, Sol. I think you'd be used to me by now."

Sol didn't reply.

"General." Sol's burning eyes hovered over Leicester. By now everyone else had composed themselves. Well, almost everyone. My gaze settled on Rikku who was watching the two Risen with her mouth on the floor. "There is one very important piece of business that we must attend to and quickly."

"And just what would that be?" Leicester asked. He sounded defensive, almost as if he thought Sol was going to try and take command of the ship himself.

"My apologies, General. I did not mean to sound so . ."

"Arrogant." Anubis cut him off. Sol sighed.

"I was only going to recommend a destination." Sol said. "Our greatest ally will be Grim. He has told me of his location. He has been in hiding ever since Anubis and I vanished. He has information that he would like to give us but we must go to him. If he travels the way we used to without ships . . it would alert the other Risen of his presence. For now he needs to remain hidden."

"How far away is it?" Leicester asked.

"Well, you got to Spira from your previous destination in around two days, so here to Grim should only take us about two or three days." Anubis said, he had one arm crossed over his chest and the other hand was on his chin, his eyes were cast down to the floor. Sol nodded in agreement. Leicester nodded.

"I'll inform High Command about this. I'm not sure how much of this they'll believe, though." he said.

"If they don't then we all die." I said.

"I will provide you with the coordinates. I would also like to ask if you have anywhere I could rest. Thousands of years with no sleep is rather . . taxing." he finished quickly, casting a sharp glance at Anubis who was still focused on the floor.

Leicester nodded, "I can do that. Follow me to the bridge." he gestured for the two Risen to follow him. Anubis followed still in his trance while Sol gave me a last nod before leaving the cell. Rikku was staring out the door with her mouth open. I rolled my eyes and gently elbowed her.

"Stop it! You're makin' me jealous." I smirked. Rikku frowned.

"Sorry. They just look so awesome!" she jumped once with excitement.

"They did seem to just radiate power." Paine said. I nodded and then realized something.

"Shit! They're about to hit warp-speed! You three need to get back on Spira!"

Paine shook her head, "Like hell. The fate of the galaxy and the universe is at stake and we're just gonna sit back while you go out there and let the other Risen tear you to pieces? No way."

"She's right." Yuna said. "We're coming."

"Where you go, I go!" Rikku pumped a fist into the air.

"Ah, how sweet." Zach said with a chuckle. I shook my head and turned to face the gunner.

"Zach, two years ago I said I'd shove my sword up your ass. Don't make me do it now."

"Actually you never said it, remember? You got cut off." he smiled.

"Whatever. Just shut it!" I snapped. He shrugged.

"I'll get you a room on the passenger bay. There are plenty of free ones." Cassidy said. I nodded. We followed her out and to the transporter we had used to come here.

The passenger bay was somewhere in the middle of the right of the ship. I knew that much. Cassidy and Zach went through after us.

"Zach?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are following us?" I asked. He paused.

"No idea." he shrugged. I rolled my eyes. We managed to find two rooms, each had two beds and other accommodations. Yuna and Paine got one while Rikku and I had another. Cassidy unlocked Paine and Yuna's room before unlocking the room Rikku and I where to share. Before she left I caught her arm. I held up a finger and turned to Rikku.

"Could you wait with Yuna and Paine for a little bit? I need to talk to Cassidy." She frowned but nodded and went into the neighboring room. I motioned for Cassidy to go first. I followed her into the room and the door slid shut behind me.

The room was a good size. The passenger rooms were always more spacious than soldier's quarters. There was a separate room for the beds with a locking door. A door in the bedroom led to the bathroom. There was no need for a kitchen since you just had to order food at a food dispenser built into the wall that served both food and drink. There was a holo-television, it could show you movies and such from two or so thousand years ago or the modern ones.

Either that or holo-porn.

Cassidy sat down on the couch across from the television. Her lips curved upwards in a small smile, "She probably thinks you're cheating on her." she said.

"Ha ha." I arched and eyebrow. Zach had always joked about how Cassidy and I should get together. It was irritating but nonetheless had sparked an interest in each of us. Nothing had happened between us, we both knew that it would never work.

"So, what did you need to talk about?" she asked.

I sighed and sat down on the couch as well, "You weren't born on Earth, right?" I asked. She shook her head.

"I was born on Cassandra." I nodded and stared at the floor. She placed and hand on my shoulder and when she spoke her voice was soft and caring, "You're having the visions again, aren't you?" she asked. I nodded. "I always knew that fucking psycho-therapy was just a load of shit." she hissed. "I know I can't tell you to just ignore it. What you went through was horrible. At least you lived."

"To die now?" I asked.

"Maybe." she snorted. "But just think about your life now. The people around you. I know that that won't help much . . at all. But just focus on the now and don't let the past consume you. That's really all I can say." she said.

"Thanks." I lifted my head to face her and smiled.

"No problem. I'll tell Rikku she can come back." she said, standing. She walked out the door and a few seconds later Rikku ran into the room. She found me sitting on the couch with my head inclined.

"Sam?" I lifted my head. She looked kind of worried.

"Hey." I stood up and let a small smile crease my lips.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. Please don't tell me Cassidy was right!

"No. Why?" she tilted her head a little before shaking it.

"Never mind." she said. "They got a shower in here?" she asked. I nodded and pointed towards the bedroom. She took a step and stopped. "Uh-oh."

"What?"

"No clothes." she said with a smile. I paused, then I remembered something. I stood and walked to where the food dispenser was located. Next to it was a small square built into the wall with a holo-computer over it. I hit a few of the buttons and the square lit up. The light faded and I picked up two pairs of flannel pajamas. These kinds of things were only built into passenger rooms. I handed Rikku one of the pajama pairs. She frowned and took it from me.

"What?" I asked.

"You're no fun." she said. I slowly nodded, realizing what she meant. I tossed my pajamas on the couch.

"Follow me." I said. I led her into the bathroom and showed her how to operate the shower controls. Everything was operated using holo-computers. Whether it be simply for small things like the shower or food dispenser, or for ship controls.

"You gonna take a shower with me?" she purred. I just about froze. I started stammering. I regained my composure and with a smile pointed to the shower before walking out and to Paine and Yuna's room to show them the same thing and get them their own night clothes.

Yuna definitely didn't like me sharing a room with her cousin. She gave me a look before I left that made my skin crawl. I went back to the room I was sharing with Rikku and waited for her to finish in the shower. Luckily showers didn't turn cold on the ship. The ship still used water for showers in the passenger rooms and the commanding officers rooms.

Soldiers got vibro-showers.

She came out after a little while and sat down on the couch. Her hair was down like it was every night, only drier since the shower dries you after you're clean.

"If you're bored," there was a small table in front of the couch, on it was a small holo-computer that acted as controls for the television, "you can watch something while you wait." I quickly showed her how to operate the controls and picked up my clothes before going into the bathroom. I deactivated the sphere grid which left me wearing nothing and got into the shower.

I bathed quickly and let the shower dry me off. I put on the pajamas, they were light blue and very thin but comfortable, and went out into the bedroom. I tossed the grid onto one of the beds and was about to go out into the main room when Rikku ran into the room.

"Um I didn't know what it was but . ." she looked over her shoulder towards the door. I walked into the room and rolled my eyes.

"Damn it." I muttered. She had accidentally selected one of the holo-porn videos. I tapped the controls and the image vanished. I went back into the bedroom and found Rikku already laying in one of the beds. I smiled inwardly and went for the other bed.

"Hey, what're you doin'?" she asked.

"Oh, just making sure you don't kill me in your sleep." I said. She gaped at me. She let out a low growl and picked up her pillow and chucked it at me. I caught it and smiled wryly.

I borrowed one of Paine's sayings, "Hurt time." and got up. She giggled and tried to get away. I hit her once with the pillow and managed to back her into a corner. I dropped the pillow and started to tickle her, pressing myself gently to her. I slowly stopped and let my lips find hers.

She leaned into the kiss and slung her arms around my neck, pulling me closer to her. I placed my hands on her sides and hesitated.

_Just do it already. What's your problem? What are you so damn afraid . . Why can't I . . . _

Memories slowly rose up inside of me. Memories I had thought were long gone . . things I wanted to forget, things I wanted to deny . . .

I froze up, my hole body tensed and I broke away inadvertently. I was frozen, my head tilted to the ground. I couldn't move. I pushed the memories and the thoughts away, trying to forget what I couldn't . . .

"Sam?" Rikku whimpered. I had screwed my eyes shut without realizing it. I quickly opened them and looked up to face her. Fear and concern filled her eyes.

"Sorry Rikku . . I just . . ." I shook my head slowly, inclining my head.

She smiled and gently kissed my neck. Oh, I wanted her. But I just couldn't bring myself to do anything. I picked up the pillow I had dropped and threw it back onto the bed. I quickly got in and she followed.

Rikku curled up against me, "I love you, Sam." she said, her voice soft.

I smiled, "I love you too, Rikku." I said before slowly drifting off to sleep.

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Author's Note: _Two disclaimers(Besides FF-X2): Holo-porn was created by Richard K. Morgan for _Altered Carbon _and any related books. Vibro-showers are a concept created by the makers of Babylon 5. _

- Thank-you for reading.


	4. Dreams and Visions

_This chapter will be split between Sam and Sol's POV. I won't put who it switches to since it should be kind of simple. It will start from Sam's POV and will switch every so often. _

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Chapter 4: Dreams and Visions

I opened my eyes . .

And only saw the chaos from before.

Tears filled my eyes and my body was wracked by sobs as I realized that I was going to die in that hell. Painfully and alone, I was going to . . die.

Then I screamed.

Anger filled me, frustration and hate for the things doing this. I was angry for my parents at abandoning me. Angry at the world because no one would help me!

I curled up into a ball and closed my eyes. I just wished, just prayed, that I would die. That it would all be over with and I could be at peace.

Unfortunately fate was cruel. I heard a loud beating from above. A steady, paced sound. I opened my eyes and looked up. Flying over the city was a large beast with wings. Fire spewed from its mouth and licked across the streets.

Something bright fell from the sky and hit the beast in the back, causing it to shriek in pain and fall. Two more lights fell and hit the monster and it plummeted. The third light impacted its neck and severed it in a flash of light.

It slammed into a building, shattering the glass and raining it down and onto the streets. The stone crumbled and the metal broke as the massive body fell to the ground, bringing close to half a building with it. Rubble and twisted metal fell and the beast and building crashed to the ground.

*******

I always wondered just how humans would change. How they would grow and advance. It seems that even though they have retained many of their stranger ideas and ways they still grew to become a strong race. No wonder the other Risen want them dead. Human technology will rival even the technology of the Risen.

A formidable foe indeed.

I found that I couldn't sleep. The instant I closed my eyes I felt something. Emotions . . memories . . pain. I reached out with my mind and found Samantha. She seemed like an average human, but yet she had the ability to defeat Anubis and myself in a stronger, albeit bound, form.

She was sleeping, and her nightmares . . they were about the past. I took a breath and opened a link to her mind. What I saw horrified me. The carnage, the pain, the fear. I immediately felt a surge of anger wash over me. Damn the pantheon and their paranoia. They were the ones who cursed the Fallen.

Calm yourself, Sol. You cannot allow yourself to become angry. I could feel her pain grow. Her fear, her anger and her sorrow. I slowly vented that energy and tried to remove the nightmare.

It seemed I was a little too late.

*******

My eyes suddenly snapped open. I was breathing hard and I was shaking. A thin layer of sweat coated my skin and a lingering sorrow hung over me like a bad aftertaste.

I took a deep breath and felt a shift in the bed. I turned my head and saw Rikku was sitting up in the bed, her eyes were wide and she looked frightened. I realized that I must have done something in my sleep, I woke her up and scared her.

"You screamed." she said, her voice barely a whisper. "And then you just started to . . you looked like you were in pain."

"What did I do?" I asked.

"You were just . . you kept jerking and moving. And then you screamed." she said quietly. There was something she wasn't telling me, something that she didn't want to tell me.

"Rikku," I said, my voice stern, "what did I do?" she sniffed and a tear ran down her cheek.

"I got scared and tried to wake you up but you . . you elbowed me in the stomach."

"Oh my . . Rikku," I sat up and hugged her, "I'm so sorry." I slowly started to stroke her hair, all the while muttering, "I'm sorry," over and over. It didn't take long for her to stop crying. I kissed the top of her head and leaned back, keeping my hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, "I'm fine." she said, trying to smile.

"Just go back to sleep, okay?" I gently laid her back down. I don't want to hurt her again. Unless I can find a way to stop these stupid nightmares . . .

I was halfway off the bed when she grabbed my arm, "Where're you goin'?" she asked.

"Rikku, I don't want to hurt you again." I said. I tried to pull away but she sat up and wrapped her arms around me.

"Whatever you were dreaming about . . you need me now more than anything. I want to be here for you. How many times have you been there for me? I've only had the one time." she said, not letting me go.

I sighed, "Fine, just don't constrict me." I said.

"Oops." she let go of me and I laid back down. For a moment she just sat there staring at me. It was always kinda creepy when she did that.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

"I'm thinking about how lucky I am." she said. She trailed a finger down my cheek and stopped. I felt her finger brush against the scar on my face.

"Claw." I said. She looked confused, "I got clawed by a Fallen." she winced. She laid back down and snuggled up to me. I laid my head against her chest. My favorite position, I could hear her heartbeat. It was so soothing, so reassuring. "Thanks." I muttered.

"Mm . . softy." I laughed and heard her start to giggle. That was one of the things I really loved about her. She could cheer me up better than anyone.

*******

She's settled. I managed to stop the nightmare, but only long enough for her to wake up. Whether she had the nightmare again was not up to me.

To be forced to carry that memory . . along with others. She has a heavy burden. Then again I suppose everyone has their own. Some heavier than others.

I was sitting on the side of a bed and slowly turned to lay down. The bed was made to mold to your body and was very comfortable. I slowly closed my eyes and let my mind wander.

*******

The din of falling wreckage slowly faded to be replaced by the old sounds of the carnage around. The massive head of the beast lay on the ground with its jaws open wide, teeth glistening in the light of the fire.

"Sam!" I heard a voice cry out. My parents? No, it was too young. Then who . . .

"Haley?" I whimpered, my voice weak and cracked.

"Oh, Sam . ." I felt someone pick me up and looked into the silver eyes of my older sister. Her face was scarred and her skin looked burned. Dirt and blood caked her hair. Tears came to my eyes as I took in the sight before me.

Why was this happening? What had we done to deserve this? My family was broken, I was sure I'd die. Hundreds, thousands, maybe millions were dead because of this. I felt like hurting someone, no. I felt a terrible knot in my stomach and a horrid heat burned through and consumed me. I wanted to kill them, the creatures that did this.

"Haley." I sobbed, hugging her. "Please don't let me die." I felt my sister stiffen. She pulled back and looked into my eyes, they were alive with pure, utter hatred.

"I won't. I promise." her voice was cold and laced with ice. A deep thunder split the screams and roars. A large military craft swept over the city and spat fire at the monsters. Bursts of light pounded the earth and seemed to burn the beasts away. I was so young I didn't realize I was looking at a third generation skiff.

"Haley . ."

"I know, there's somewhere we can go." she picked me up and ran as fast as she could with me in her arms. I blamed myself for slowing her down. If only I was as strong as her then I wouldn't be such a burden.

An explosion ripped through a nearby building causing the top half to crash to the ground, drowning a nearby street in a sea of mangled stone and iron.

The collapse shook the ground, causing Haley to fall. She managed to turn so that she landed on her back with me safe in her arms. She hissed and arched her back in pain. I felt myself start to cry. Now I was hurting her. If she hadn't had to carry me then that wouldn't have happened.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

She opened her eyes and looked at me, confused, "This wasn't . . your fault." she gasped. Slowly she stood back up and picked me up again. She started to run again. All the violence and destruction seemed to move on. Suddenly Haley halted.

"Haley?"

I felt her shake her head, "Sam, close you eyes. Close your eyes and whatever you do don't open them until I say so." she sounded scared. I nodded and closed my eyes. "Ready?" she asked. I nodded, not sure of what I was ready for.

Slowly my sister started moving again. She was walking awkwardly, taking a few steps forward then to the side and then forward again. She was walking around something. I knew that much. I heard her shudder every so often and she was shivering constantly. Curiosity getting the better of me I opened my eyes and looked around.

I screamed.

Bodies. Well, remains really. Blood, organs, shredded flesh and mutilated corpses littered the street. Innards and fluids coated the damaged walls of buildings like paint. It looked like the street had been decorated for Halloween by a serial killer. Pretty much what happened. The bodies were barely recognizable. Heads, legs, arms, even chest cavities and more had been torn off of the many corpses. How could anything be so cruel, so evil? Why would they?

What gave them the right to do this to us?!

I screamed until I ran out of air, and then I screamed again. "Sam!" Haley covered my mouth with a hand and pushed my face into her chest to hide the horror around us. "Shh . . you have to be quiet or _something_ might hear you." she sighed. "Damn it girl, I told you not to look didn't I?" I nodded slowly.

She started moving again, faster this time in case anything had heard my screams. Then we heard something. A loud _thud_ and the sound of explosions. The ground shook and I felt Haley turn her head and gasp.

"Holy shit!" she breathed. I cautiously peeked. My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. A large beam of white energy was burning much of the city behind us. My eyes followed the beam up and into the sky. A large warship was firing its orbital beam cannon on the planet.

On Earth.

"Hey!" my sister quickly turned when we both heard a voice. I turned around as far as I could. A group of soldiers ran towards us, guns at the ready. "You kids shouldn't be here. Come with us." they formed a protective circle around us and led us away from the mass of blood and gore.

*******

Interesting. I guess that is why she joined High Command. She wanted to strike back at those that killed her family and so many others of her world. I wonder what became of her sister?

Ah well, that can wait. Best not to bring the pain up. She dislikes me enough as it is because of who I used to be. If we are to win this war then she will need to trust me. They all would. I think the girl Paine dislikes me more than many of them.

Then again there are also personal matters that must be resolved before they can work together effectively. One harbors deep resentment towards Sam for being with her cousin. I just hope they can resolve these issues before it cripples them.

*******

I woke up in a cold sweat, still shivering as the sight of mutilated bodies filled my mind. I suppressed the thoughts as far as I could and let my eyes rest on the sleeping girl beside me. She had trapped me, like so many times before.

"Does she plan this or what?" I sighed. I slowly pulled myself free of her, feeling her resist slightly as I did. I knew she liked the contact. I always tried to think that her tries at seducing me were just ways to have that contact and that it wasn't out of just pure lust.

I hoped that it wasn't just that.

I freed myself and picked my grid up off the other bed. I paused and with a sly smile grabbed the pillow from that bed and placed it next to Rikku. Afterward I took a shower. I sent my pajamas down a tube leading to a washroom after activating the dress-sphere.

I went to the sink and tapped a blue square on the sink. The square was just the top of a small box which rose up out of the side of the sink. A tiny, green square was dispensed into my hand. I put it in my mouth and held my hand under the rectangular faucet. After my palm filled with water I poured the water into my mouth. When the water mixed with the green strip it formed a harmless chemical that, when swished, would clean your mouth and tongue of plaque. I spit out the water and walked out of the bathroom.

Sneak attack was an accurate description of my reception.

Rikku jumped me with the pillow and wouldn't let up until I threatened to use my sword. She dropped the pillow and glared at me. I took one look at her and smiled, a way to irritate her entering my head.

"What's so funny?" she snarled.

"At night, before you go to sleep, you look beautiful. But in the morning . . you're damn scary, ya' know that?" She gaped, then with a roar she tackled me. I grabbed her hands and rolled her so that I was on top of her.

"Big meanie." she grumbled once she stopped struggling. I arched an eyebrow.

"Ya' gonna be nice if I let you up?" I asked. She nodded. I released her hands and slowly stood up. "Now take a shower." I quickly told her what to do to clean her teeth.

She grimaced, "Ya' sayin' I got bad breath?"

"Just take a shower. Oh, there's a small sliver panel on the wall in there. Just press it, when it opens send your pajamas down the tube, it'll close by itself." she nodded and grabbed her sphere grid. I went out into the main room just as Cassidy came through the door.

"I explained to Paine and Yuna how a few of the the things in their rooms work."

"Good, I was just about to do that. Need anything?"

"No, but you need to go to the bridge. I'll wait here and bring Rikku and the others once they've finished with . . whatever." she said with a shrug.

"Thanks." I said before leaving. I used a transport pad to get to the bridge. The ship's bridge was big, really big. Basically it was a large sphere with four pillars in it. A platform was connected to, and suspended between, the four pillars. Around each pillar were three rings with control officers seated at a multitude of holo-computers. The center platform was where the captain's chair and the ship's navigators were located.

Leicester was seated at the captain's chair, Anubis and Sol stood on either side of the chair. The front of the bridge was a large iron screen that served the same purpose of a window, only the image was projected. This helped to protect the bridge from direct damage.

As I walked towards the captain's chair Sol turned back to face me. The look in his eyes confused me. It was almost as if he knew something. Something that I didn't.

"Good morning, Samantha." Leicester said once I reached the chair to stand beside Sol.

"You said you wanted to see me, Sir?"

"Yes, it seems that it will take another two days to reach our destination. Until then I was wondering if you would show Sol and Anubis some of our weaponry and other advances."

I turned to Sol who simply smiled, "Your people have come far. I would just like to know how strong you have truly become."

"Of course." I said.

"You can bring the three who came with you, if you'd like." Leicester looked up from a holographic screen to face me.

"That would probably be best." I agreed.

"This would also give us a chance to learn more about our knew . . enemy." Leicester's eyes flicked briefly to Sol who nodded once. "Well, as soon as they're here you may begin." Leicester said, returning his attention to his computer. I nodded and looked at the image in front of me.

Since when did I become a tour guide?

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Author's Note: _Sorry if this chapter is a little choppy. I'm just trying to take my time to better build up the plot and take things slowly. I'll try and make the next chapter better. And of course Sam's visions do have a purpose in the story._

- Thank-you for reading.


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